Zero Crossings
Bitwig Platform
Zero Crossings in Bitwig Grid help track waveform transition points and are useful for timing, analysis, and clean edits.
This topic groups Zero Crossings module guides and waveform-analysis workflows in Bitwig Grid.
Also matches: Bitwig Zero Crossings, Zero Crossings, Zero-Crossings
Posts in this topic
The Zero Crossings module in Bitwig Studio's Grid is a simple pitch estimator that measures the distance between zero crossings of an audio waveform to determine pitch or frequency, working best with simple signals like sine waves. Filtering options, both inside the module and externally, help make complex signals easier to analyze for more accurate pitch detection. While not precise for complex audio, it is a handy tool for generating pitch signals from audio input, which can then be processed or quantized further within Bitwig.
In this video, I explore using the zero crossings module in Bitwig Studio to change the pitch of a sine oscillator. I demonstrate how to set up the pulley grid and select the microphone input as the hardware input. To clean up the signal and make the pitch changes smoother, I use an LFO device. I also show how to trigger the gate signal using voice input from the microphone. I use a select module and a constant with a gain to achieve this. I discuss the concept of an inverted threshold and mention that using a gate length module can slow down the switching of the select box. Finally, I mention the possibility of using pitch scalar plugins for pitch quantization and the potential for creating pads and vocal sounds with these techniques.
Clicking or crackling sounds in synthesizers occur when waveforms are abruptly restarted at non-zero crossings, causing sudden jumps in speaker movement. These artifacts can be prevented by restarting oscillators at zero crossings, adding short fades using amplitude envelopes, or by using voice allocation techniques like digimono or polyphonic modes to allow smooth fades between notes. In monophonic setups, introducing delayed retriggering or precise envelope shaping ensures smooth transitions and eliminates unwanted clicks and pops.
In this video, I explain how to use the grid in Bitwig Studio to calculate release time for a compressor based on beats instead of milliseconds. I show how to convert a ramp signal into a sound, measure the pitch using zero crossings, and then convert it to hertz and milliseconds. Although it's a hacky approach, it's a fun challenge and allows for time-based calculations in the grid.
In this video, I showed how to use my voice as an instrument inside Bitwig Studio. I demonstrated how to create a vocal pad sound by using a Voice stack modulator and then showed how to use the Poly-Grid to control synths with my voice. I also showed how to use the Melda Auto Pitch Plug-in to create sounds on the fly and use a Zero Crossings module to get a clean pitch signal. Finally, I demonstrated how to create percussion sounds with my voice by using filters and transient shapers.